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There's nothing wrong about celebrating St. Patrick's Day with a pint of beer. But when one pint becomes three or five, your merrymaking can pose serious health risks, for you as well as for the people around you, according to Dr. David Sack, CEO of Promises Treatment Center.

Today, an estimated 38 million American adults are binge drinkers — defined as men who drink five or more drinks in a sitting and women who consume four or more drinks at one time, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Most binge drinkers are between 18 and 24 years old, but those over age 65 do it most often, the report said. Still, those numbers may underestimate the scope of the problem because people typically vastly under-report their drinking behavior.

The immediate harm of binge drinking doesn't always have to do with the alcohol, Sack said. It's the accidents, auto fatalities, sexual assaults and increased likelihood of a drug overdose when alcohol is combined with other drug use, he explained. Even if you're not out celebrating, Sack said that it's important to remember you can't control other people — like drunk drivers — so it might be best to stay close to home.

"St. Patrick's Day invites all drinkers to drink too much," he said. "As with any holiday that has alcohol as a focus, there are going to be a lot more drunk drivers on the road, and a lot more reckless and boisterous people."

Binge drinking accounts for more than half of the 80,000 alcohol-related deaths each year, and represents about 75 percent of the more than $200 billion in costs from alcohol abuse, according to CDC data.

The overdose risks of drinking, particularly when combined with other drugs, are alarming, Sack said. "What's happening more and more often now is that people will have a couple of drinks and take opioids, thinking that if they've only had a couple of drinks, they'll be safe," he said. "But when you combine alcohol with another respiratory depressant, the risk of an overdose goes way up. Don't drink and use other drugs."

If you are going out, Sacks offers these guidelines:

Nurse your drinks. "Tell yourself how many drinks you’re going to allow yourself to have, and stick with that," he said.

Don’t drink aggressively or quickly. If you're with friends who drink more than you do, don't give into the pressure of "keeping up."

Consider selecting drinks with a lower alcohol content. With mixed drinks, the alcohol concentration can vary widely dependent on what liquor is used and in what quantity.

Even though some research has suggested that alcohol can have health benefits -- including a recent study linking red wine and longevity — Sacks warns that these benefits only exist at the lowest levels of consumption. When consumed in excess, alcohol can harm the stomach, liver, and heart, he said, and even increase your risk for diseases such as cancer and type 2 diabetes.